W.Va. Tea Party Follow-Up

The Associated Press' Tom Breen assesses the potential for last week's protests to "to convert that passion into the mostly unglamorous work of grassroots politics."

Mike Stuart, a former Republican legislative candidate and previous hopeful for state GOP chairman, has started the County Conservative Foundation and helped promote the tea party protest in Charleston. "Stuart is building a contact list along with tea party organizers of people committed to fiscal conservatism in government," the article said. "Stuart sees a network of thousands of people across West Virginia who can be spurred into action at short notice."

Nathaniel Harold "Thorney" Lieberman, a Republican who sought to represent then-presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani at last year's state GOP nominating convention, helped organize the Capitol protest. "Electoral changes are also on the mind of Lieberman, who said he was astonished last fall to see so many unopposed races," the article said. "Lieberman is meeting with organizers of other protests around the state to formulate a plan for what comes next."

If successful, "the tea party movement could represent a challenge to the state's established political culture," Breen writes. "While many of the speakers on Wednesday had harsh words for the Obama administration and Democrats, they are also disappointed with Republicans both nationally and in West Virginia."

Gary Abernathy, executive director of the state Republican Party, told Breen that "Republicans can do a better job at fielding candidates, but that the tea party movement will only succeed if it lends its energy to the GOP."

Five Thirty Eight, meanwhile, offers crowd estimates for West Virginia's events:

Charleston: 550
Martinsburg: 300
Parkersburg: 300
Wheeling: 2,000